Project for a Landscape Service Providing Company Landscaping Servicers - Business Plan Example

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 2.OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT 3 2 Vision 4 2.2. Objectives 4 2.3. Scope 4 3 s 5 4.KEY STAKEHOLDERS 6 5.Role And Responsibilities Of Each Project Team Resource 7 6.Project Organizational Structure 8 7.Work Breakdown Structure 10 7.1. Important Milestones 10 7.2. Scheduling 13 7.3. Gantt Chart 17 8.Major Project Milestones 19 9.Main Dependencies, Risks, Issues, And Assumptions Of The Project 20 9.1. Risks Of The Project And Strategies To Mitigate The Risks 20 9.2. Assumptions 22 10.budget 22 11.Conclusion 24 12.References 25 1. INTRODUCTION Project management constitutes one of the most important tranche of management sciences that has gained immense importance in the organizations in the recent past. Project management, by simple definition, refers to the efforts and resources employed to achieve particular task that has not been conducted earlier (Larson, and Gray, 2011). Project is defined as onetime activity that is allocated limited time, cost and other resources with a defined scope (Lewis, 2006). This branch of management sciences has enabled organizations to accomplish the objectives with increased efficiency and effectiveness. Scientific methodology employed for the completion of each constituent of activity of the project provide complete track record of the successfully accomplished tasks as well as identifies areas that need improvements. This report prepares a project plan for a landscape service providing company, Landscaping Servicers. The company offers a range of landscape services to different public and private organizations and individuals. This report is aimed to prepare the project management charter for the project of one of the projects that the company has to manage. The project is about creating and establishing a new park in Hyattsville, Maryland. The name of the park is Pond Park. The report provides a complete review of the project identifying all aspects with specific reference of project management. This report discuss about the business and the scope of the overall project that the project manager has to deal with. The customers of the project that would use the deliverables and the deliverables of the project that the project manager has to deliver have also been discussed in this report. Stakeholders of the project have also been discussed along with the project team used in this project. Project organizational structure has also been presented in the report. Work breakdown structure (WBS) is also used in order to divide the overall project into different chunks and this report also includes WBS for this particular project. Important milestones and delivery dates have also been presented. The risks of the project that could influence the outcome and assumptions of the project are also discussed in this report. Strategies to mitigate these risks have also been discussed in this report in order to make sure that the objectives of the project are achieved. In addition to this, the overall budget of the project has also been estimated by the project manager. 2. OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT There are number of parks in Hyattsville, Maryland. However the government has identified a need of a new park in the region in order to provide more facilities and more areas for families to enjoy and relax. The park is named as Pond Park. This park will also be having a pond that will be beautifully prepared and thus, the name of the park is Pond Park. This park is aimed to provide a number of facilities for the families. The location identified in Hyattsville for this new park is at Somerset Street. By having a park in this region, the residential people in the community will be able to enjoy and relax at this park. The management has decided to offer a number of facilities for the local community at this part. The playground equipments that are aimed to install at the park would be highly innovative and it would be one of the main attractions of the visitors from Hyattsville. This park will not only attract people from Somerset Street but from other areas of Hyattsville as well as from different parts of Maryland. This park will also help in improving the environmental condition of the area by adding more greenery. 2.1. Vision The vision of this project is to appropriately manage the project of initiating and constructing the Pond Park and make sure that the project is completed within the cost, time and scope. 2.2. Objectives The project aims and objectives will be critical in defining whether the project is successful or not (Phillips, 2003). The project objectives of this project of opening and creating Pond Park are as follows: To make sure three important dimensions of Project management (cost, time and quality or scope of the project) are met. To properly allocate the resources available for the project in completing the project within the cost, time and scope. To identify different risks that can impact the outcome of the project and formulate strategies to mitigate these risks. To install and make sure that different playing equipments are installed at the park To make sure that the facilities such as Pond, walking area, playing area and other areas are properly constructed within the cost, time and quality. 2.3. Scope Scope of the project is one of the defining corners of the iron triangle with other two being the cost and time. Well defined scope of the project ensures that project does not derail from the path in achieving the objectives (Atkinson, 1999). The scope of the project is to create a new park, Pond Park in the region of Hyattsville. The park will have different facilities for the people to enjoy and relax. Moreover, the park will have a pond and different playing equipments and gaming facilities such as football ground and tennis courts that would attract a number of visitors from different regions of Hyattsville and Maryland. The budget allocated for this park is $5 million and the estimated time for completing this project is approximately 10 months. Therefore the project will start from March, 2014 and it will be completed by the end of December. The management plans to open this park just before the Christmas. 3. Customers The customers of the project are the management of Park and the government of Hyattsville, Maryland. The owners and the managers have hired the project manager company, Landscaping Servicers to accomplish the project of starting the Pond Park. The project manager is responsible for constructing and making sure that all the equipments and facilities are installed. Moreover, the project manager is also responsible for hiring the staff for the operations so that when the park opens, the park can be managed properly. Different equipments and machineries required for the project will also be purchased by the project manager. The project manager therefore is required to undergo different activities and for this, the project manager has divided the project into different activities. The main deliverables for this project would be to make sure that different facilities are available, playing equipments are installed, pond is appropriately set and safe for visitors, and the overall operations are ready. 4. KEY STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholders are people that have direct or even indirect interest in the business prospects. Within project management field, significant importance is being given to the stakeholders’ management as success or failure on this front can cause success or failure of the project. Gaining support from the powerful stakeholders is immensely important. Furthermore, other holders that contribute in the project such as refurbishing contractors or vendors are important stakeholders as delay on their part will result on the delay of the entire project. Among various approaches identified for the management of stakeholders, the project manager for setting the system for this project used power and interest matrix. The power in interest matrix also directs strategy to deal with stakeholders based on their power and interest. The power and interest matrix is depicted as follows: Category A: Shops and stalls that will place their canteens of cafes at the park. Category B: Suppliers, and other vendors. Category C: Regulatory Authorities and other regulatory agencies. Category D: Local Government of Maryland and visitors of the park. The matrix also identifies the strategy for dealing with each set of stakeholders. It is important to note that communication is the key to deal with each stakeholder; however, the power and inertest of each stakeholder determines the level, importance and frequency of communication with each stakeholder. For example, customers requires maximum communication and other aspects of consideration while regulatory authorities require less information related to day to day business and are only required to be communicated related to legal issues of the business. Similarly, category B stakeholders with low power but high interest are required to be fully informed to be dealt successfully. For example, contractor as well as vendors must be provided with complete information related to outcome from their role in the project in order to gain the required input from them. Success of the project is the function of the successful dealing with stakeholders. 5. Role And Responsibilities Of Each Project Team Resource Project manager will be responsible for managing the overall project. Project manager will be assisted by an assistant project manager. For different purposes and milestones, the project manager will be using the services of different contractors, consultants and employees of the organization. For conducting research and collecting data, the project manager will be assisted by the assistant project manager as well as marketing assistant of the company. Different contractors and vendors will be hired by the project manager to install different equipments, seating areas, construction for car parking area, installing lights at the park and install other important services and facilities. Some of the personnel from the governmental agencies will also work in collaboration with the project manager team to make sure that the project is in accordance with what the government is looking for and to ensure that the project is going in the right direction. 6. Project Organizational Structure The project will be headed and led by project manager. The project organizational structure has been presented below: 7. Work Breakdown Structure Work break down structure, also known as WBS, is the systematic structure which determines the components of each activity is well defined. Project management employees WBS in order to ensure that all activities that are necessary as primary as well as support activities in the project are conducted and none of the activities are missed that ultimately affect the performance of the business (Harrison, and Lock, 2004). 7.1. Important Milestones The WBS for the underlying project is as follows: Milestone Important activities in the milestone Layout Creating a Layout of the park Approving the layout of the park from the management Making any changes as per the feedback Approval of the layout Contractors and vendors Tender for different contractors and vendors Short listing vendors and contractors Interviewing different contractors and vendors Approving the contractors and vendors Formal agreements between different contractors and vendors Car Parking Establishing the car parking area Making the car parking facilities appropriately Planting Constructing Roads from the Car Parking Area Installing lights at the car parking area Entrance Installing Gates at different entrance areas Planting Pedestrian friendly walk Play Area Tennis Court Football ground Games and equipments for kids Small park with different rids for kids Installing a small café in play area and connecting it with the roads and path Stable region Creating a proper stable region for horse Ensuring different facilities for Horses Add lighting in this region and connecting stable region with paths Pond Area Construction of pond Plantation surrounding the pond Adding grill to make the pond safe Allowing spaces for ducks Installing a small café in Pond area and connecting with paths Roads and Paths Adding proper roadways and paths for visitors in different regions of park and connecting different areas of park Adding plants in different roads and paths Canteen Area Different small shops for canteens 3 areas for big restaurants Proper Seating arrangements Washroom area Roads and paths to connect it with other areas and entrance Different areas of Park Add lights throughout the park Ensuring proper facilities for watering plants Adding grass and trees Adding chairs, tables and shades throughout the park Making feasible region and connecting paths and roads throughout the park Hiring of Human Resource Identifying the need and skills of human resource Posting ads on newspapers and online for recruitment Short-listing candidates for different positions Interviewing different candidates Hiring of Human Resource Orientation and training of human resource Testing of Operations Project Closure Completed project delivered Project report delivered 7.2. Scheduling S. no. Activity Days Starting Date Ending Date Predecessors 1 Layout 0 days 3/3/2014 3/3/2014 2 Creating a Layout of the park 5 days 3/3/2014 3/7/2014 1 3 Approving the layout of the park from the management 3 days 3/10/2014 3/12/2014 2 4 Making any changes as per the feedback 2 days 3/13/2014 3/14/2014 3 5 Approval of the layout 2 days 3/17/2014 3/18/2014 4 7 Contractors and vendors 0 days 3/18/2014 3/18/2014 5 8 Tender for different contractors and vendors 20 days 3/19/2014 4/15/2014 7 9 Short listing vendors and contractors 5 days 4/16/2014 4/22/2014 8 10 Interviewing different contractors and vendors 10 days 4/23/2014 5/6/2014 9 11 Approving the contractors and vendors 3 days 5/7/2014 5/9/2014 10 12 Formal agreements between different contractors and vendors 2 days 5/12/2014 5/13/2014 11 14 Car Parking 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 15 Establishing the car parking area 15 days 5/14/2014 6/3/2014 14 16 Making the car parking facilities appropriately 25 days 5/14/2014 6/17/2014 14 17 Planting 10 days 5/14/2014 5/27/2014 14 18 Constructing Roads from the Car Parking Area 30 days 6/18/2014 7/29/2014 14,15,16,17 19 Installing lights at the car parking area 7 days 7/30/2014 8/7/2014 18 21 Entrance 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 22 Installing Gates at different entrance areas 3 days 5/14/2014 5/16/2014 21 23 Planting 10 days 5/19/2014 5/30/2014 22 24 pedestrian friendly walk 15 days 6/2/2014 6/20/2014 22,23 26 Play Area 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 27 Tennis Court 20 days 5/14/2014 6/10/2014 26 28 Football ground 45 days 5/14/2014 7/15/2014 26 29 Games and equipments for kids 15 days 5/14/2014 6/3/2014 26 30 Small park with different rids for kids 45 days 5/14/2014 7/15/2014 26 31 Installing a small café in play area and connecting it with the roads and path 15 days 7/16/2014 8/5/2014 27,28,29,30 33 Stable region 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 34 Creating a proper stable region for horse 20 days 5/14/2014 6/10/2014 33 35 Ensuring different facilities for Horses 10 days 6/11/2014 6/24/2014 34 36 Add lighting in this region and connecting stable region with paths 10 days 6/25/2014 7/8/2014 33,34,35 38 Pond Area 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 39 Construction of pond 60 days 5/14/2014 8/5/2014 38 40 Plantation surrounding the pond 20 days 8/6/2014 9/2/2014 39 41 Adding grill to make the pond safe 10 days 9/3/2014 9/16/2014 40 42 Allowing spaces for ducks 5 days 9/17/2014 9/23/2014 39,40,41 43 Installing a small café in Pond area and connecting with paths 10 days 9/24/2014 10/7/2014 38,42 45 Roads and Paths 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 46 Adding proper roadways and paths for visitors in different regions of park and connecting different areas of park 45 days 5/14/2014 7/15/2014 45 47 adding plants in different roads and paths 20 days 7/16/2014 8/12/2014 46 49 Canteen Area 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 50 Different small shops for canteens 15 days 5/14/2014 6/3/2014 49 51 3 areas for big restaurants 60 days 5/14/2014 8/5/2014 49 52 Proper Seating arrangements 10 days 5/14/2014 5/27/2014 49 53 Washroom area 60 days 5/14/2014 8/5/2014 49 54 Roads and paths to connect it with other areas and entrance 10 days 8/6/2014 8/19/2014 50,51, 52,53 56 Different areas of Park 0 days 5/13/2014 5/13/2014 12 57 Add lights throughout the park 30 days 5/14/2014 6/24/2014 56 58 Ensuring proper facilities for watering plants 45 days 5/14/2014 7/15/2014 56 59 Adding grass and trees 30 days 7/16/2014 8/26/2014 58 60 Adding chairs, tables and shades throughout the park 25 days 5/14/2014 6/17/2014 56 61 Making feasible region and connecting paths and roads throughout the park 10 days 8/27/2014 9/9/2014 57,58, 59,60 63 Hiring of Human Resource 0 days 10/7/2014 10/7/2014 61,54,47, 43, 36, 31, 24,19,18 64 Identifying the need and skills of human resource 3 days 10/8/2014 10/10/2014 63 65 Posting ads on newspapers and online for recruitment 10 days 10/13/2014 10/24/2014 64 66 Short-listing candidates for different positions 10 days 10/27/2014 11/7/2014 65 67 Interviewing different candidates 7 days 11/10/2014 11/18/2014 66 68 Hiring of Human Resource 3 days 11/19/2014 11/21/2014 67 69 Orientation and training of human resource 15 days 11/24/2014 12/12/2014 68 70 Testing of Operations 3 days 12/15/2014 12/17/2014 69 72 Project Closure 0 days 12/17/2014 12/17/2014 70 73 Completed project delivered 1 day 12/18/2014 12/18/2014 72 74 Project report delivered 3 days 12/19/2014 12/23/2014 73 7.3. Gantt Chart 8. Major Project Milestones The project deliverables are final outcome that are expected from the successful completion of the project. The central outcome from the project is the completion of the Pond Park within defined time, cost and scope. The core deliverable has to gain much more than this. For instance, achieving the overall layout as designed and facilities installed in the park are capable to attract customers. This will contribute to the qualitative deliverable from the project in terms of satisfied customers. The milestones in the project completion are important achievement towards the completion of the project. Milestone set for the project are: No. Milestone Starting date of milestone 1 Layout 3/3/2014 2 Contractors and vendors 3/18/2014 3 Car Parking 5/13/2014 4 Entrance area 5/13/2014 5 Play Area 5/13/2014 6 Stable region 5/13/2014 7 Pond Area 5/13/2014 8 Roads and Paths 5/13/2014 9 Canteen Area 5/13/2014 10 Different areas of Park 5/13/2014 11 Hiring of Human Resource 10/7/2014 12 Project Closure 12/17/2014 9. Main Dependencies, Risks, Issues, And Assumptions Of The Project 9.1. Risks Of The Project And Strategies To Mitigate The Risks It is critical to identify and discuss the risks of the project. Identification of risk can help in managing the project (Jeston, and Nelis, 2008). Risk is the chances of a negative outcome or impact on the project due to any factor. Every activity unless completed is subject to a risk from different factors. All risks are required to be considered in order to deal with them without compromising the level of output required from the project (Hamilton, 2004). Various risks, their probability of rise, their potential impact on project and strategy to deal with them are identified in the charter below: RISK PROBABILITY OF ARISE IMPACT STRATEGY TO MITIGATE RISK Project exceeds the cost than allocated amount Low to Medium Level of impact will be equal to the deviation of cost as compared to allocated amount. In order deal with this risk, contractors and vendors have been already asked to provide rough idea of the overall costing breakdown and deviation factors. Factors expected to cause deviation in cost are kept in tight control. Risk that project does not complete on time Low The impact will be high as the opportunity of winter season to be exploited will run out of hands. Project plan has already accounted grace days in each milestone. Moreover, the project manager has made sure that each milestone is given specific time so that the project can be accomplished within the time. Discrepancy between the project manager and contractors or vendors Low High as project completion cost as well as time will be impacted. Both contractors and vendors are among the most important stakeholders of the project. Project manager, in order to reduce the chances of such discrepancy, has devised the charter in due consultation with these stakeholders. By identifying different risks of the project, the overall project faces low- medium level risks. However, strategies have been formulated and these strategies can help in reducing the overall risk of the project. 9.2. Assumptions The project for successful completion has made certain assumptions. For instance, the project charter assumes that risks, if any arises, are equal to the magnitude that is manageable by the strategy defined for the purpose. The project manager has assumed that the equipments will be available easily and the contractors and vendors would be willing to work in this budget. Most importantly, it is assumed that as mutually agreed upon the stakeholders does not end up any deadlock in the project completion and change management. 10. budget The overall budget of the project is USD.5.0 million. The allocation of the project is done as under: Particulars Cost in USD Percentage Of Total Budget 1 Cost of lights and other electrical appliances and materials $37,500.00 7.50% 2 Vendors’ Cost $155,000.00 31.00% 3 Contractors’ Cost $165,000.00 33.00% 4 Furniture and fixtures cost $60,000.00 12.00% 5 Human resources recruitment $7,500.00 1.50% 6 Human resource training and development $5,000.00 1.00% 7 Operation running $35,000.00 7.00% 8 Miscellaneous and contingency cost $25,000.00 5.00% 9 Potential savings $10,000.00 2.00% $500,000.00 Hence, the budget allocation also refers that the cushion in the completion of the project in addition to meeting a contingency cost is well considered. This strategy is aligned to risk mitigation strategy to deal concretely with additional cost pressures rising from any of the aspects. 11. Conclusion The Pond Park Project is aimed to provide a place where people from Somerset Street and other areas of Hyattsville can come and enjoy. The project will offer different facilities that it would not only attract people from Hyattsville but from other regions of Maryland as well. The project charter and project plan has employed various tool and techniques for ensuring all that all the aspects effective in the project management are accounted in due diligence to ensure smooth completion of the project. 12. References Atkinson, R. (1999). Project management: cost, time and quality, two best guesses and a phenomenon, it is time to accept other success criteria. International Journal of Project Management, 17 (6), 337–42. Hamilton, A. (2004). Handbook of Project Management Procedures. TTL Publishing, Ltd: London. Harrison, F., and Lock, D. (2004). Advanced project management: a structured approach‎. Gower Publishing, Ltd: Surrey. Jeston, J. and Nelis, J. (2008). Management by process: A practical road-map to sustainable business process management. Butterworth-Heinemann: London. Larson, E., and Gray, C. (2011). Project Management The Managerial Process: Fifth Edition. McGraw-Hill: New York. Lewis, R. (2006). Project Management. McGraw-Hill Professional: London. Phillips, J. (2003). PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide. McGraw-Hill Professional: London. Read More